What's your deer hunting rifle

Ruger No. 1 Standard in .308

 

Since 1999 the vast majority of my deer have been taken with one of several inline muzzleloaders. My favorite scoped inline is a .50 TC Encore that has accounted for about 30 deer.

Couple years ago Ft. Sill changed the rules for the first week of muzzleloader deer season. Only conventional sidelock guns are allowed: No sabots, fire sights or scopes allowed. i began hunting deer with patched round balls during that week. Now i often hunt with a conventional muzzleloader during gun season as well. .50 and .54 caliber patched round balls kill deer about as well as anything. They also knock the snot out of big hogs.

 

Like the OP, I use a Remington 700 CDL in .270 Win. This season, though, I'll be trying out a Savage 110 in .243 both on antelope and deer.

 

Tikka T3 Lite in 300 WSM is my go-to gun for everything from bear and hog at close range to deer and elk past 400 yards.

 

Older 700 BDL in 7mm mag - 140s for antelopes and whitetail deer, 160 for everything else.

 

Quite similar here, pre 64 model 70s... 1st out is the 06 with a 308 as a backup. Both are featherweights.

 

A Savage Weather Warrior in 30-06 is my only hunting rifle. The gun was purchased to replace a 300 Ultra Magnum that was very expensive to shoot and beat the heck out of my shoulder.

 

Rem 700 BDL, 30-06. Perfect.

 

I have a Savage Stainless Weather Warrior in .308, 5x15x50 Bushnell Elite scope that I use when sitting a "long" blind, and a .30-30 Marlin 336 w/'a Leupold 2-7x33 for everything else. I have a bunch of other rifles, but these are my go-to deer getters.

 

My go to "don't know the weather, range or conditions" empty freezer don't mess around deer killing implement is a Ruger 77mkII all weather in 30-06 with w Sightron 3x9x40 scope.



I don't always hunt with this rifle. But when I'm hungry I do

 

I still use me trusty Winchester model 94 30-30 never ever has let me down I shoot only for the neck up and I always get the game!

 

Took more with a Ruger 77 270 but,

my main one for the last 15 years has been a Savage 10 Sierra. It is a 6 1/4 lb bolt with a 20" barrel chambered for 300 WSM and wears a 2X7 Vari-Xll. To be honest I have kind of weaned myself from it. Of the 6 deer that I shot last year only two fell to the 300. Took one with Black Powder, one with bow, and two with a Contender pistol. Year before I took one with bow, rifle, black powder and Ford F150.

 

Last year I used a Mosin Nagant, because my younger son used my AK. My older son got 11 deer with a Savage Axis in .223, and I had an opportunity to buy an Axis in .223, so I did. I might use that this year.

I had a 742 Carbine in .30-06 when I was younger; wish I'd have never sold it. That was my deer rifle.

 

This year, it's going to be my 257 Roberts built on a Yugo-captured K98k receiver. It has a Sightmark S1 Hunter 3-9x40 scope and a Boyds Classic nutmeg stock. I glass-bedded it and is shoots really well. I've got loads for it with both 115 gr Nos BT and Nos Partitions. Both loads use Hodgdon H100V and both shoot at just under 3000 fps. The BT is a little more accurate, but both are more than accurate enough to shoot to 300 yards easily.

My son is using either my Dominican Republic 7x57 or my Grandpa's 1903 Springfield. He hasn't decided yet. I bought the Dom Rep as a donor action because it has all the mods needed and a good stock, but only a 20" barrel. I was going to keep it in 7x57, but with a 24" barrel that was somewhat heavier.... but then I shot it. I got 1" groups at 150 yards with factory PPU ammunition. Handloads do even better than that. Consistently. So it's staying that way.

My backup will be my Dad's Spanish M44 Mauser that also shoots much better than it's supposed to do with a "shot out" barrel.

ETA:

The first deer I got on a deer hunt was a doe I got with the front end of my Grandpa's Chevy K15 that we borrowed for the hunt. His response? "You know that you have guns for that, don't you?"

Matt

 

I use a variety of different rifles, but hands down, my "go-to" rifle when I'm serious about putting meat on the table, is my Model 70 Winchester in 7mm Rem. Mag. It was the frist rifle I ever bought "on my own" and has never failed to do what I ask of it.

 

Oh gawd you asked.
Started with a Winchester 94 30-30 and 54 years later take it when I go what I call slumming in the rain wet stick snow and nasty stuff.
Retired it from the cedar swamp when I got a Remington Model 7 7mm08 with a Pentex lite seeker 2 x7.
Also have a 7mm08 in a Remington 700 with Pentex 3x9 I use across the cranberry bogs and on beach.

Been doing a lot of Southern Michigan deer hunting last 6 years, a Remington 870 20ga. slugger is used a lot along with a pair of Remington 700 Muzzle loaders a 50 and 54.

Al

 

I have used a variety of 30-06's over the years and my current is a Savage with a Leupold scope. Recently I have started using a sporterized Swedish Mauser and have used it almost exclusively for the past two years. I occasionally carry a Marlin 336 in 30-30 because I like the "feel" of that carbine.

 

Savage 99F. Pre million. In Sav 250 cal. Light as a feather!

 

Ruger 77 RSI in '06. Though I will take my Ruger #1 in 9.3 x 74R once in a while, just to be different Coogs.

 

Greetings
As the commy state of ILL does not trust us to use a modern rifle when I choose to use a long arm it is a flintlock of some caliber at least .54. Last time out with a flinter couple years ago took a 1819 Hall flint .54. At other times it was a caliber .60 repro trade rifle.
But where I hunt is river bottoms so a modern rifle would be of no real help.
Mike in Peru

 

Jeepnik - what type of rifle/caliber combo is this?

 

Indiana limits deer hunters to pistol cartridges of 357 bullet diameter and larger with case OAL no more than 1.8". That being said, I use a 357 max Encore with Hornady SSP bullets loaded with Lil Gun to around 2300 FPS. Effective out to 200 yards easily.

 

Marlin 336 30/30 with Williams peep sight for ease of carry in the hand and that classic deep woods look and feel. And a Remington 700 Classic chambered in 7x57mm with Zeiss Conquest scope. It was left to me by a favorite uncle is my favorite do anything deer rifle. Both bring back lots of great memories.

 

Can't use a rifle in Iowa but I can't wait to try my SMLE. If it was good enough for the big 5, it'll handle a white tail with ease.